Gaston County Wins National Award For Weekly "Savvy Citizen" Podcast

LAS VEGAS – Gaston County’s Communications Office won a national award last week for its weekly podcast “Savvy Citizen” from the City-County Communications and Marketing Association (3CMA).

At its annual conference in Las Vegas, 3CMA handed out its annual awards, which included 94 first-place “Savvy” awards, out of more than 1,100 entries in 37 categories from city and county communications and marketing offices across the United States and Canada. Gaston County was one of only five North Carolina municipalities or counties to win a top-level “Savvy” award from 3CMA this year.

Judges said of “Savvy Citizen”: “I understand why the listeners tune in. This was a professional product with authentic voices, which made it so easy to listen to. This was a very smart way to reimagine content sharing to meet the audience where they're at.”

“Savvy Citizen” is the brainchild of Communications Director Adam Gaub and Process Improvement Director Janet Schafer. Budget Coordinator Elizabeth McGee and Public Engagement Manager Gavin Stewart serve as hosts alongside Schafer and Gaub, while Creative Services Manager Joshua Braswell serves as executive producer and Digital Media Manager Barry Martin as editor.

The show began in the fall of 2020 and recently aired its 250th episode this summer. It is available to stream or download on all major platforms, including Apple, Spotify and Amazon Music, as well as through the county’s website, GastonGov.com. New episodes air each Monday.

The podcast not only takes residents behind the scenes of the people and projects at Gaston County government, but also highlights nonprofits and residents doing important work in the community.

This is the third Savvy Award won by Gaston County, and the fourth consecutive year the County won an award from 3CMA